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You will learn what one person likes in a knife and that's it. You can have 2 totally different knives but one isn't necessarily better than the other. It is not comparing apples to apples, knives are subjective. Which is better. A 100m sprinter or a 400m sprinter? I appreciate you going through with this and all but it seems kinda futile, you know what you do and what you like and so will the testers

We are not asking a weight lifter run against a sprinter, or a marathon runner run against sprinter. The knives are comparable and designed to do a similar work, presumably efficiently. So, what is the problem to put them to a contest?

The emphasis is not on personal preferences of a tester, but on a knife as a tool to perform all work that one normally does with a knife during a work shift.

You guys must have had moments when you tried a new knife that have had an effect on your preferences? No? Why then some knives come and go out of fashion? I don't believe that people are so rigid in their preferences that they can't evaluate a tool.

M

"All beauty that has no foundation in use, soon grows distasteful and needs continuous replacement with something new." The Shakers' saying.

We are not asking a weight lifter run against a sprinter, or a marathon runner run against sprinter. The knives are comparable and designed to do a similar work, presumably efficiently. So, what is the problem to put them to a contest?

The emphasis is not on personal preferences of a tester, but on a knife as a tool to perform all work that one normally does with a knife during a work shift.

So following your logic, if we carried out a test, we should be able to say (for pros at least) with confidence that one knife is the best there is?

I suggested 3, but have no problem to include more as long as the knife is maintained after each of the testers. I would also like that the both knives are sharpened by a third party, so that comparable edge could be put on both (preferably without a microbevel).

Also, I would like the knife to be used for 1+ shifts straight, to evaluate edge retention.

I am super flexible, as I hope you guys see.

M

"All beauty that has no foundation in use, soon grows distasteful and needs continuous replacement with something new." The Shakers' saying.

So following your logic, if we carried out a test, we should be able to say (for pros at least) with confidence that one knife is the best there is?

I don't think we are looking for the best there is. it was my understanding that a claim was made that the Japanese were superior in their knife construction do to traditional methodology and generational experience as opposed to the Americans with their limited experience and modern techniques. It was also inferred that there was no way an American knife could perform as well or surpass a Japanese knife made by a master craftsman. Marko excepted the challenge to dispel that myth not to see if the American knife would be the best knife ever.

I haven't lived the life I wanted, just the lives I needed too at the time.

So following your logic, if we carried out a test, we should be able to say (for pros at least) with confidence that one knife is the best there is?

No, as the sample is pretty small, but one could say that one knife might have performed work more efficiently than the other (edge lasted longer, separated a range of foods better, didn't microchip, etc).

I repeat that I can only control what I put in making this knife, I can't control testers' preferences, biases, etc. So it's not a straight shot and I am prepared to lose the contest.

M

PS: I do this kind of real-life contests at my Crossfit gym almost every day. We all get assigned same work and all do it to our best ability. Whoever get the best time (by following required criteria, like prescribed weight) wins. Best time = efficiency, skill, level of fitness, etc. Translated it into a knife terms = steel, heat treatment, geometry, profile, etc. Crazy perhaps, but to me makes perfect sense.

"All beauty that has no foundation in use, soon grows distasteful and needs continuous replacement with something new." The Shakers' saying.